Editorial: Sleep and Teenagers

It must be a misconception, within the community, that teenagers in high school need sleep. Why, under any circumstances, would we need more than five or six hours of sleep per night? To sleep longer would be a crime against establishment itself, and to adjust to the needs and biological rules of human life would be absurd. The point is, high schoolers do not get nearly enough sleep, and it is not because we are reckless punks that like to spend all night texting strangers and causing trouble on social media, but because of sports, extracurricular, and let’s not forget about that essay, page 476: 1-53 odds, a chemistry lab, and… who needs to eat anyways? Oh, but you could make the case “Well *adult grumble* you brought this upon yourself, you were not required to do all of these things.” True as it may be, some of us want to succeed and achieve the goals we have set for ourselves within our own lives, and to simply achieve is not enough. Society calls for overachieving to be the new normal, and in order to be competitive in the world of employment, extremes have to be reached. I also understand teachers have work to do, and most people I talk to tend to agree that some extra sleep would be a blessing, so the real enemy here is that Commonwealth of PA. An extra hour. That’s all. Simply one hour to change my alarm from saying “Alarm set 5 hours and 32 minutes from now” to “Alarm set 6 hours and 32 minutes from now” would mean the entire world to a sleep deprived population. This newfound hour of sleep would not only grant new morning pleasure for everyone, but it would also lead to more responsive classes and the partial disembodiment of the typical “zombie” look we give teachers when we are hit with another assignment. After coming home from school, instead of crashing from sports and clubs due to exhaustion, we could get more work done and get to bed earlier or even *wait for it* enjoy ourselves. OUTRAGEOUS. What a heinous claim! Until this agreement is made between the state and the general populous of exhausted students and teachers we will be stuck in this cruel cycle for eternity. I understand if you cannot fit this request into your schedule, however. Passing a budget is hard enough.